Simon Vouet

Manufactory of Raphael de la Planche

Rinaldo and His Companions Leave the Enchanted Isle, ca. 1633-1637

On View

Wool and silk (modern cotton lining)

Dimensions: 177 × 126 in. (449.6 × 320 cm)

Gift of Viola E. Bray, 2005.124.7

Rinaldo resolves to leave the enchanted island, to return to the crusaders’ camp in the Holy Land, to reconcile himself with his captain, and to restore his honor by proving his valor on the field of battle. The trio is waylaid by a beseeching and distraught Armida, who begs Rinaldo to stay or, at least, to allow her to follow him. Feeling remorse for her grief, the hero experiences a conflict of emotions, expressed through his glance and hand gesture, but nonetheless departs without her. This tapestry shows the moment when the boat sails past the sorceress, who has fallen in a swoon of despair.